Adjustable related golf club shaft and head including two striking faces and shaft position indicator means



M CORMICK Sept. 7, 1965 M. D. 3,204,962 ADJUSTABLY RELATED GOLF CLUB SHAFT AND HEAD INCLUDING TWO STRIKING FACES AND SHAFT Filed May POSITION INDICATOR MEANS 22, 1963 n I n INVENTOB. .D. F "Cb/mack Mag/ac e United States Patent "ice 3,204,962 ADJUSTABLY RELATED GOLF CLUB SHAFT AND HEAD INCLUDING TWO STRIKING FACES AND SHAFT POSITION INDICATOR MEANS Maurice D. McCormick, 308 Maple, Prospect Heights, Ill. Fiied May 22, 1963, Ser. No. 282,281 4 Claims. (Cl. 27.3-80.1)

This invention relates to improvements in golf clubs and more particularly relates to an improved form of golf club arranged to present different lofts in operative association with a golf ball and capable of being used either by the right or the left hand.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of golf club having striking surfaces of different lofts, together with a simplified connection from the shaft of the club to the club head, indexing the shaft in operative association with a selected loft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved form of golf club having an adjustable shaft to present striking surfaces of difierent lofts into operative association with a golf ball, in which indicia means movable with the shaft indicate the selected loft of the club head.

Another object of the invention is to simplify upon the adjustable golf clubs heretofore in use by providing a club for use either by right or left hand players and adjustable by movement of the shaft with respect to the club head, to present striking surfaces of different lofts for either right or left hand operation, as selected.

A further and more detailed object of the invention is to provide an adjustable golf club utilizing a one piece head having a socket therein for the shank of the shaft of the club, in which a slide in association with the shaft closes the socket and indicates the loft selected to strike a golf ball.

3,204,962 Patented Sept. 7, 1965 The socket 15 is shown as being generally rectangular in form, having parallel spaced elongated side walls 21 and parallel spaced end walls 22, 22. The socket 15 also has a bottom wall having recessed portions 23 at opposite ends thereof, forming recesses to receive the depending legs 24, 24 of a leaf spring 25. The bottom Wall of the socket 15 also has a recessed central portion 26 accommodating downward flexing of said leaf spring.

The shank 13 has parallel spaced side walls 27, 27 slidably engaging the side walls 21, 21 of the socket 15. The shank 13 also has a relatively wide bottom portion 28 extending perpendicular to an axial line extending along the axis of the stud or shaft portion 11 and having downwardly opening detent notches 29 therein engaged by a detent peak 30 extending upwardly from the center of the leaf spring 25 and indexing theshaft 11 in centered relation with respect to the club head, to accommodate the These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein: FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a golf club constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the club head with the shaft broken away and shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is a partial fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along line IIIIII of FIG- may be a combined putter and chipper and has a club head 10. The club head 10 has the usual shaft 11 mounted on and extending upwardly from a shank 13, extending within an upwardly opening socket 15 formed in the club head, and transversely pivoted to the club head as by a pivot pin 16 extending transversely through the socket 15 and mounted at its ends in the club head, at opposite sides of the socket.

The club head 10 has a generally fiat bottom presenting a flat lie at the center of the club and terminating into upwardly turned end portions 12, 12. The top surface of the club head has inclined plane faces 18, 18 inclined downwardly from the outer ends thereof and terminating at their lower end portions into angular faces 14, 14 extending upwardly and inwardly from said downwardly inclined faces and terminating at their upper end portions into a slightly concave top surface 17, having the socket 15 opening therethrough. The club head also has a face 19 of a putting loft and presenting a putting face, and an opposite face 20 of a greater loft than the face 19 and forming a chipping face for chipping golf balls onto the green.

club head to be used for croquet putting when desired. The detent peak also indexes the shaft into a plurality of selected oppositely extending putting and chipping positions.

The shank 13 further has oppositely inclined abutment faces 31, 31 biased into abutting engagement with either end wall 22 of the socket 15 by the spring 25 to hold the shaft 11 in an extreme position for striking a golf ball, either with at putting or chipping face. The detent notches 29, as herein shown, in addition to indexing the shaft 11 into a central croquet putting position, and extreme putting and chipping positions may also index the shaft 11 into intermediate chipping or putting positions.

It should here be noted that opposite legs 24 of the leaf spring 25 space the flat portion of the spring a substantial distance above the recess 26 in the bottom of the socket 15, to accommodate movement of the shaft 11 and shank 13 from one operative position to another, and that the spring reacts against a selected detent recess of the shank 13, depending upon the selected position of the shaft with respect to the club head, and biases the abutment faces 31, 31 into engagement with either of the end walls 22, 22 in the extreme positions of said shaft, which may be normal putting or chipping positions.

The top surface 17 has a recessed portion 32 extending along each side of and beyond opposite ends of the socket 15 and slidably receiving a spring indicator plate 33 closing the socket 15 and indicating the selected position of adjustment of the shaft 11 with respect to the club head. The indicator plate 33 as herein shown, has a central rectangular open portion 35a extending along the rectangular portion of a stud 34 formed integrally with the shank 13 and extending upwardly therefrom. The stud 34 has an upper integral round longitudinally fluted portion 35 receiving the end of the shaft 11.

A sleeve 36 is pressed on the stud 34 to retain the indicator plate 33 in place in the slot 32. The sleeve 36 has an enlarged lower end portion having downwardly facing inclined faces 37, 37 terminating into a peak at the axial center of the shaft and biasing the indicator plate 33 in position to slide along the recessed portion 32 and uncover a Word designating the selected position of the shaft with respect to the club head, to strike the ball with either a putting or a chipping face.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the recessed portion 32 on one end of the socket 15 has putt extending thereacross and the opposite recessed portion 32 has chip extending thereacross. The indicator plate 33 thus uncovers the word putt when the shaft is in position to use the face of the club having a putting loft and covers the word putt and uncovers the word chip when the shaft 11 is in position to strike a ball with the chipping face.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simple and improved form of adjustable golf club has been provided, which may be used as a normal chipper or putter and may be used for croquet putting and that the chipping or putting faces are selected by the simple operation of pivoting the shaft 11 about the pivot pin 16.

It may further be seen that the spring 25 biasing the abutment faces into engagement with either end face of the socket 15 positively holds the shaft in position for either chipping or putting, but also serves to hold the shaft in a number of positions selected by the individual player for either chipping or putting.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it should be understood that various variations and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf club having a head portion having an upwardly opening socket therein and having opposite faces of different lofts, said socket being generally rectangular in formand having parallel side and end walls and having a bottom having recessed end portions and a central recessed portion between said end portions, a leaf spring extending along said bottom, generally U-shaped in side elevation and having legs engaging said recessed end portions of said socket, a shaft having a shank on the lower end thereof and fitting within said socket and having parallel spaced side walls having close engagement with the side walls of. said socket and a transverse pivot pin pivoting said shank within said socket, said shank having opposite abutment faces adapted to abut the end walls of said socket and index the shaft in either a putting or chipping position with respect to the club head, and having a bottom face extending perpendicular to the axis of said shaft having a plurality of downwardly opening detent notches therein, said spring having a detent peak intermediate its ends engaging a selected one of said detent notches and biasing said shaft in centered relation with respect to the club head, and a sliding cover plate extending about said shaft and covering said socket and movable by said shaft to uncover indicia designating the playing position of said shaft with respect to the club head.

2. A golf club having a head portion having an upwardly opening socket therein and having opposite faces of different lofts, a shaft having a shank on the lower end thereof fitting within said socket, a transverse pivot pin pivoting said shank within said socket, and a leaf spring extending along and spaced above the bottom of said socket and yieldably engaging said shank and retaining said shaft in its selected positions of adjustment, a cover for said socket extending about said shaft and slidably engaging the club head, and indicia on the club head indicating the position of said shaft with respect to the club head uncovered by said cover, upon movement of said shaft to a playing position.

3. A golf club having a head portion having an upwardly opening socket therein and having opposite faces of different lofts, a shaft having a shank on the lower end thereof fitting within said socket, a transverse pivot pin pivoting said shank within said socket, and a leaf spring having a yieldable surface spaced above and extending along the bottom of said socket and yieldably engaging said shank and retaining said shaft in a selected playing position, a cover extending about the upper end portion of said shank and having slidab'le engagement with the top surface of the club head, to close said socket, said shank having downwardly facing central peaks on opposite sides thereof engaging said cover and biasing said cover in position to cover said socket and retaining said cover as it slides along said club head upon movement of said shaft into its various operative positions.

4. A golf club having a head portion having an upwardly openin socket therein and having opposite faces of different lofts, said socket being generally rectangular in form and having parallel side and end walls and having a bottom having recessed end portions and a central recessed portion between said end portions, a leaf spring extending along said bottom, generally U-shaped in side elevation and having legs engaging said recessed end portions of said socket and an upwardly facing detent peak intermediate its ends, a shaft having a shank on the inner end thereof and fitting within said socket and having parallel spaced side Walls having close engagement with the side walls of said socket and a transverse pivot pin pivoting said shank within said socket, said shank having opposite abutment faces abutting the end walls of said socket upon positioning the shaft in a selected position of adjustment and having a bottom face extending perpendicular to the axis of said shaft and having a plurality of downwardly opening detent notches therein engaged by said detent peak of said spring, and biased by said spring to position said shaft in centered relation wit-h respect to the club head and to engage a selected one of said abutment faces with either end of said socket, a cover closing said socket and extending along opposite sides of said shank and movable along the top surface of the club head to uncover indicia indicating the playing positions of said shaft, and means retaining said cover to the top surface of said club head, comprising a central peak on said shank engaging and biasing said cover into engagement with the top surface of the club head and retaining said cover to the club head as it slides therealong.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,599,336 9/26 Lindgren 27380.1 2,138,294 11/38 Douglas 27379 2,661,952 12/53 Jackson 27380.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 9,169 1908 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

2. A GOLF CLUB HAVING A HEAD PORTION HAVING AN UPWARDLY OPENING SOCKET THEREIN AND HAVING OPPOSITE FACES OF DIFFERENT LOFTS, A SHAFT HAVING A SHANK ON THE LOWER END THEREOF FITTING WITHIN SAID SOCKET, A TRANSVERSE PIVOT PIN PIVOTING SAID SHANK WITHIN SAID SOCKET, AND A LEAF SPRING EXTENDING ALONG AND SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID SOCKET AND YIELDABLY ENGAGING SAID SHANK AND RETAINING SAID SHAFT IN ITS SELECTED POSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT, A COVER FOR SAID SOCKET EXTENDING ABOUT SAID SHAFT AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE CLUB HEAD, AND INDICIA ON THE CLUB HEAD INDICATING THE POSITION OF SAID SHAFT WITH RESPECT TO THE CLUB HEAD UNCOVERED BY SAID COVER, UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID SHAFT TO A PLAYING POSITION. 